


call me, text me

by pastisregret



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Awkward Flirting, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Identity Reveal, Secret Crush, Texting, they're both dumb and in love what do you exactly expect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-06-23 21:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19710103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastisregret/pseuds/pastisregret
Summary: ladybug and chat noir decide it's best if they exchange numbers and keep contact outside of the suit. chaos follows.





	1. do u wanna love me?

**Author's Note:**

> so um yeah expect pt ii soon. (based off my tumblr post i'll find and add her later it's like 2am i'm too lazy to add it now just enjoy pls)

Marinette had been against it, initially. Keeping in contact outside of the suit was dangerous, and risky, and a dozen other things she could bring up if she had the time. But Chat Noir was right. Crossing their fingers and hoping the other would get the clue that there was an akuma attacking wasn’t the best option, and constantly messaging the other on the baton or yo-yo and hoping for the messages to go through wasn’t good enough either. They needed a better, option, something that’d keep them in contact constantly.

She had suggested they exchange numbers at first, but Chat reminded her – slim as the chance was – that they might know each other outside of the suit, and already have each other in their contact list. And while she had laughed it off, Marinette didn’t want to take the chance, too worried about that outcome.

And so, the phones were introduced.

“Chat, you didn’t have to go out and buy the newest phones you know,” she told him, perched on a rooftop and carefully sliding the new product out of the box. There was no screen protector or case on it yet, and perched two stories up in the middle of the night, Marinette tried to be as gentle as she could, too many cracked phones under her belt.

“I know,” Chat says, taking his own out of the box. “But don’t you think superheroes should have top of the line equipment? We might not have a Batmobile, but it’s something, right?”

Marinette frowned as it turned on, a flash of white nearly blinding her. “I just hope it doesn’t get into the wrong hands.”

“That’s the best part, wonderbug. It has face ID built in, so no worry about someone hacking into it and finding our messages.”

“Face ID, huh?” Marinette asks, the setup screen staring at her.

“Yep. Top of the line and secure. We won’t have to worry about anything.”

“Well, will it recognize me without the mask on?”

Chat paused, face falling flat and looking down at the screen. He frowned, trying to think through the logistics of his Lady’s question. He hadn’t really thought that part through yet, and now, having to address it head on, racked his brain for a good answer.

“You know,” he starts, “I didn’t really think about that yet. It’s gotta, right?”

“It’s not like our miraculous works _that_ well, right?” Ladybug asks, her own brows furrowed and fingers tapping quickly to go through the usual setup questions. “The miraculous is pretty powerful, but I’m sure technology is better.”

“I mean, if you want, I could detransform and test it out for us,” he offers. There was the rooftop over he could try it out at, or maybe he could dart into an alley and dash out just as quickly. Adrien was sure Plagg wouldn’t mind if he slipped out the suit long enough to have his phone scan his face, unlock, and confirm that mask on or mask off, he could still get into the phone.

“Slow down, Chat,” Ladybug says, gloved hand held up and stopping him before he thought any further. “Let me set this up, and later when we’re back in the safety of our homes we can figure out the extent of how well facial recognition works.”

“Does that mean I’ll get your number?” Chat asks, smirk on his face even as she rolls her eyes.

“Don’t be silly, kitty. Of _course_ you are. We have these for a reason, right?”

“So, that’s a yes.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Marinette says, an arm leaning over to shove him gently. “Let’s set this up and go on with patrol, yeah?”

“Anything for you, my Lady.”

Later that night, when they had bid each other adieu and ran off to their homes, hidden by the cover of night, Marinette found herself laying down on her bed. The phone, miraculously, had yet to be damaged, and while Chat laughed at her for being so careful during patrol with it, Marinette had every reason to.

“He buys top of the line phones and yet, forgets to get us cases,” she mutters under her breath. “I’ll be lucky if this doesn’t break before the end of next week.”

Glancing at her main phone, charging and flashing a wave of notifications, Marinette felt her nerves spike. There was a huge crack down the middle from a nasty fall down the stairs, and her last one had fallen off the balcony and nearly struck someone upside the head. She wasn’t exactly known for her gentle nature around objects, a fact her parents, Alya, Nino and many of their classmates had picked up on.

Looking back at the new phone, she gazed at it. Once the mask was off, Marinette tested out the question, finding the phone unlocking with ease and her mask nowhere to be seen. Surely she’d have to think about the possible side effects of such advanced technology that a simple phone could ignore the powers of the miraculous, but for now she was more concerned with where she could find a decent case.

A ping on it startled her, hands loosening their grip on the phone and falling down on her face. Marinette yelped and got up quickly, grabbing the phone with one hand while she massaged her face with her spare.

 _It sure packed a punch_ , she thought to herself, wondering if a fall that hard could chip her tooth. Maybe defeating Hawkmoth would be easier if she just had a really hard throw of her phone.

Looking down at what the notification was, she realized it was Chat, a text message with an attached image. He _was_ her only contact after all.

_> Check out the view! And the background I guess ;) _

She smiled at the picture, a selfie with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Baton in his free hand and lifting himself up several feet in the air, she could tell he was way more comfortable handling the phone than she was. Saving it to her gallery, Marinette tapped on the keyboard, typing up a response.

_< i don’t want any morning texts from you complaining how tired you are!_

_< and guess what kitty! it works w/o the mask_

She leaned back down on her bed, leaning over to turn off the switch. Another second, and she had the phone unlocked, another text from Chat.

_> Don’t be silly, bugaboo! I’ll be up and ready for whatever comes my way!_

Marinette scoffed and let out a laugh.

_< i highly doubt that. i bet a million bucks you’re gonna be so tired tmr you won’t know what hit you _

_> Oh? Then I bet you an ice cream at André’s that I won’t be!_

_< done deal kitty. i’ll be waiting for an ice cream in my hand next time we have patrol!_

It was the start of something, Marinette rolling over to support her elbows on a pillow as she texted Chat back. Fingers flying on the screen, awaiting what catty response he had in hand for her and responding with her own well-placed comment, there was hardly any recognition of how much time had passed.

For the first time, it was less of a risk to respond and more of a fun thrill, enjoying the way she could keep a conversation and not worry about the beeping of her miraculous stopping her from continuing.

And well, who was to stop Marinette from a good time?


	2. do u wanna find me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ladybug and chat noir get close. adrien and marinette get close too, when an akuma attacks and leaves them trapped together.

The next morning, Chat Noir did end up owing her that ice cream cone.

 _i knew you’d complain!_ Marinette texted as she made her way up to the school steps. She had made sure to wake up early and get ready, just waiting for a response from him that would prove her point. And she had gotten it, a wave of emojis expressing his mood, and all in the cat forms.

_> I admit, maybe I got a bit too bold last night! But in my defense, I hadn’t expected someone to text me nonstop all night._

Laughing, Marinette sent him an emoji sticking out their tongue and slipped the phone in her back pocket. She had yet to find a proper case, and until she did the phone would remain on her person, tucked in her right pocket while her usual one was in her left.

Still, it was hard when she felt a buzz, both hands coming to dig in her pockets and find out what phone it was coming from.

 _Chat Noir_ , she read, his name flashing up along with a message. Unlocking, Marinette leaned up on the wall underneath the stairway, hoping the shadows would hide her as she texted back.

Her head barely moved up as she texted him, going so far to eventually sit down with her back to the wall and legs sprawled out in front of her. Her head focused down, Marinette texted until she felt a familiar hand pat her head. Looking up, she locked her phone and slipped it out of eyesight.

“Mari, what are you doing down here?” Alya asks, both hands holding two iced coffees and glasses glinting as she looked down. “You’re gonna end up in class complaining because people headed up the stairs got dirt in your hair.”

“Oh, I was just waiting for you and texting Mama. She was asking if we were still on for the sleepover at my place tonight.”

“We’re having a sleepover tonight?” Alya asks, brows raised as she watched Marinette get up and dust off her jeans. “I didn’t think I would forget about something that awesome.”

“I just decided!” she exclaims, reminding herself to actually text her mom later about the sleepover. “And anyways, Al, wouldn’t you rather be in my room, braiding each other’s hair instead of the two of us stuck dealing with Ella and Etta?”

Alya’s eyes widened at the thought of having to baby-sit, dread building. Last time that had happened, her sisters had kept her and Marinette up half the night, gotten akumatized, and _then_ woke them up early to watch cartoons.

“Say less,” Alya says. “We can go to your place together after school and they can have fun bothering Nora all night.”

“Sounds like a plan!”

“Now _please_ Mari, take this drink now before my hand freezes off.” Holding it out, she more or less shoved it into Marinette’s grip, ready to warm up her hand before it went numb.

Marinette barely had the coffee cup in her hand when the bell rang, letting them know it was time to head up to class and drink as much coffee as they could to try and keep themselves awake. Along with that, Marinette knew it was better to drink it all now in case Mme. Bustier told them to throw it out when they walked in the door.

Already drinking as much as she could and trying to keep a mindful eye on the steps before her, Marinette almost forgot to check her phone, the buzzes almost ignored in favor of chugging a frappuccino down her throat.

Key word, _almost_.

Letting Alya enter first, Marinette fought back a brain freeze and pulled the phone out with her free hand, quickly sending back a snarky reply to Chat before she closed her eyes and winced as the wave of cold went through her. Heading to her seat, Marinette sat down and tried keeping her eyes focused on her board, but after a while the buzzes became too interesting for her to ignore.

Slipping it out and sliding it underneath her textbook, Marinette managed to send a few messages without anyone noticing, well used to taking advantage of any moment to talk to Tikki or to plan how she’d sneak away as Ladybug.

Unbeknownst to her, Adrien was doing the same thing, using classroom distractions as a way to continue talking to his Lady, planning out exactly what cat pun to use and tease her with.

After a while, it became less of a game between the two, less of a way to challenge each other with jokes and comebacks and – _dare Marinette say it?_ – flirts. No, it had changed between them.

Morning texts turned into mid-day updates, turning to late evening conversations. When Marinette left class, her hand would find the phone and sneak a message out to Chat complaining about class. At lunch, she hid her phone underneath the table and found herself tapping replies without looking down at the keyboard, trying to keep up with her friend’s conversations without letting off signs she was preoccupied. On the way home after school, she’d take a quick picture of the sky, suggesting how the weather might affect their patrols.

And at night, texting would turn to voice calls, laughing their way through the night until one of them evitability fell asleep on the phone, leading to a wave of texts making fun of them to be read in the morning.

Marinette wouldn’t lie and say she wasn’t having fun replying to Chat. He was her Chat Noir of course, savior of Paris and near the top of her list of best friends (Alya had the lead). Talking to him wasn’t formal or stiff, but loose and freeing because that was all they were when it came down to it. Friends. Partners. Co-heroes. And, as her mind so often liked to entertain it these days, someone who made her heart go happy whenever she got a text back from.

Of course, it wasn’t all fun and games with Chat. They still had a duty to do, and whenever an akuma emerged they would text one another immediately, send the location of the akuma, and even take pictures of what to look out for when it got bad enough. Ceremonies and public appearances were discussed between the two, and even a brief drop-and-say-hi didn’t go ignored, keeping their reputation as Ladybug and Chat Noir in check.

It didn’t mean they always were so lucky.

Marinette didn’t know what cruel akuma decided to play with her today, but she sure was looking forward to cleansing them and sending them back wherever the fuck they came from. The akuma, having taken over their gym teacher’s anger and rage at his unruly class, had gone haywire. Going from classroom to classroom, he had gathered each class and proceeded to take them to the courtyard, where they were forced to do bogus exercises on end. Marinette’s class had been the latest hit, and he had gotten hold of most of them.

That most of them being all but two, who luckily (or unluckily) were trapped in the classroom supply closet, something heavy and big thrown in front of the door and effectively keeping them trapped in.

And who were the two? Well, Marinette and Adrien.

“I guess we’re stuck here,” he says, sitting down and watching Marinette try again to budge open the door. Nothing. Sighing, she sat down as well, across from him and keeping her legs as close to her body as possible.

“Haha, y-yeah,” she responds, wondering if all her nighttime wishes for the chance to be alone with Adrien paid off in the worst of ways. Out there was an akuma, and yet, she couldn’t risk transforming without exposing her identity to Adrien, the space too tight and small to even attempt believing he wouldn’t realize.

A hand coming up to fiddle with her earrings, Marinette flashed her eyes back up to the doorknob.

“I don’t think it’ll work no matter how hard we try,” Adrien says, watching as Marinette moved her gaze away from that. One call for cataclysm and the door would be dust, but it wasn’t like he could just call for Plagg to transform him, not with Marinette right there.

No, they’d just have to wait this out and wait for Ladybug to come. He’d have to be a regular civilian for once, just like Marinette.

“H-How long do you think until Chat Noir shows up?” Marinette suddenly asks. “I mean, he has to come and let us out soon, right?”

“Or Ladybug,” Adrien mentions, too quick to even try and act unbothered at Chat Noir’s name being mentioned. “Ladybug could definitely come and save us too, right?”

Marinette freezes, trying to not sound nervous as she speaks, “Yeah. Of course. Her too.”

Another moment, and her hands grab the phone, quickly unlocking and pulling up the messages. She shields it from his gaze a bit and throws a small smile, glad the closet was dark enough he wouldn’t see her blush.

“I just need to text someone, that’s all.”

“Oh, go ahead Marinette! We’re in the middle of an akuma attack. Please, take your time messaging friends.”

Her fingers flying on the keys, Marinette messaged as fast as she could, barely waiting for the last message to load before sending another.

_< hey kitty, akuma attack @ collège françoise dupont. u know where it is, right? _

_< we’ve had some akumas here before so it shouldn’t be hard to rmbr_

_< i’m kinda trapped rn so i can’t transform, but i’ll join as soon as i can_

_< please hurry. the akuma’s in the courtyard _

_< text me so i know you’re fine!!!_

_< chat???_

Marinette bit her lip, looking down at the messages. All sent through, but none had been read yet. Strange considering Chat usually almost always responded fast, and _always_ made an effort to send even a single word to let her know he was fine during an akuma attack. Unsatisfied, she started up again, sending a new burst of messages.

Adrien watched Marinette, feeling the sudden sense that a revelation was upon him as he noticed every time she sent a message, he felt a buzz in his jean pocket moments later. He tried not thinking too hard on it but it was hard not to. With every hard tap of the _send_ button, there was another prominent _buzz_ arriving. He wished he could see more of her phone, but Marinette had effectively concealed most of it from his line of view, the very thing someone would do if they didn’t want someone to so much as _glance_ at their phone.

She finally looked up after a second, sighing. Chat wasn’t going to respond any time soon, and until he did, Marinette wasn’t anywhere closer to an exit out. Looking at Adrien, she noticed he had yet to pull out his phone but knew from the constant noise someone was trying to get in contact with him.

“Adrien, you know you can check your phone, right? I’m sure whoever is texting is worried about you,” she says, thanking the dim lighting in the room for her ease at talking. With less focus on his _perfect_ face and _beautiful_ eyes and _amazing_ smile, she could focus more on talking normal and expressing her concern for him.

He gulped. Feeling Plagg pressed against his inside jacket, Adrien wondered if the pounding of his heart made for a nice beat for his kwami to enjoy.

“Are you sure, Marinette?” he asked, even while a hand went to fish his phone out of his pocket.

She waved a hand, smiling at him. “Of course! Don’t worry, I don’t mind. I was texting just a few minutes ago, remember?”

Oh, how he did. Unlocking his phone and sending out a quick response, he waited for it to send.

And it did, a buzz from Marinette’s phone that semi startled her and semi filled her heart with relief. Unlocking her phone, she went to the message, waiting for whatever Chat Noir had to say.

With a gasp, she reread the message over and over, feeling the air knocked out of her. Following the instructions, she looked up to gaze at Adrien’s eyes.

 _Look across from you, bugaboo_ , it had said. _I’m right here._


	3. do u... like me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ladybug and chat noir are stuck together in the middle of an akuma attack. adrien and marinette are stuck too, trying to confess their feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> byeeee i'm retiring from writing a bitch is tired

It’s quiet, only a few feet between the two. Faintly, Marinette can hear shouts a few classrooms over, a reminder of the akuma going on right now, the fact that something needs to be done, and _quick_.

But she can’t move. She can’t think, can’t concentrate, can hardly breathe the longer she sits, looking over at Adrien and bunching her legs as close to herself as she can even while he does practically the same.

Heart in her throat, Marinette realizes Adrien’s looking back at her with a grin on his face, one that looks more familiar with every second that passes. One that matches a certain superhero, a cat she’s been turning down and pushing away for months on end.

For a second, Marinette thinks she just might faint, the grip on her phone tightening. She locks it harshly, leaving the message she received to sit alone while she tried to process what she just read.

Chat Noir just texted her after ignoring her messages, messages that she had sent in a burst while waiting for _anything_ back. Chat Noir responded just after she encouraged Adrien to answer his phone, to alert whoever was on the other end that he was safe and sound. And just a few seconds ago, she had gotten a text that told her to look up, to glance across the closet space and see who was there, who was sitting across from her and apparently Chat Noir himself, trapped here with her.

Adrien Agreste. Adrien, who she now notices, is holding a phone that matches her own. A phone she can’t help but remember beg in Chat’s hands a few weeks back. Chat Noir, beaming at her and joking about the precautions she was taking to protect her phone, and speaking into the phone during their late-night calls, keeping her entertained.

Vaguely, Marinette wonders if, like Tikki, she can phase through objects and take the easy route out of this situation, just ram herself through the door and call it a day. She would attempt it too if she had the chance, if she wasn’t practically paralyzed in shock.

Adrien decides it’s time to say something when neither has made the effort to, eyes catching each other’s and darting away too fast for something to result of it. He can feel the tension in the air, blanketing the two and making every breath harder than it typically would be. Bracing himself for what was to come, Adrien gets a burst of confidence, and idea that might just ease up the two.

“Well,” he starts, pushing his hair back with one hand and hoping it’s the perfect mix of messy and tamed Chat Noir so often held, “I’ll be the first to say this is weird. How’s it hanging, bugaboo?”

She’s going to die. Honest to God, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is going to go into immediate cardiac arrest and fall dead right then and there, in the middle of an akuma attack, not by a fatal hit by whatever monstrosity was attacking or a ill-fated fall off a rooftop, but because _Adrien Agreste_ just gave her the most Chat-like look followed up by the one nickname he knew would send her into a mess.

Letting out what sounds like a squeak, Marinette lets her phone fall out of her hands. Adrien reprimands himself mentally, watching and waiting for her to say anything, to do anything other than look at him with those big blue eyes, so wide and soul searching he almost wants to look away.

 _Almost_.

Leaning back, Marinette closes her eyes, searching for something to say. God, would she have preferred for anything other than _this_ to be the setup for their identity reveal. Other than being stuck in a closet, trapped with her classmate, crush, and now _partner_ , with little time to think and even less to act with.

Inhaling sharply, Marinette grabs grip of the first word to come to mind, sending it out before she loses the courage to. “No,” she says.

Adrien blinks. He hadn’t expected that to come from Marinette’s lips, much less his Lady’s. “No?”

“No,” Marinette repeats, sure that she’s incapable of saying anything else without stuttering.

“Is that a good no or a bad no?“

“It’s… something,” she finally answers.

“Something,” Adrien says. Looking at her, he wonders if it always this difficult to concentrate on her words. He might just be better off repeating everything she says, just to make sure he’s getting it right and his brain isn’t running off into some faraway land.

“This is just a lot,” she offers. “Like woah, this _cannot_ be happening right now.”

Adrien swallows. “Would you care to elaborate, my lady?”

There he went again, dropping a nickname like it didn’t send her heart over the moon. Feeling her face go red, Marinette moves her eyes away from Adrien and trains it on the wall next to him, knowing there would be no way to work through this unless she found something to focus on, something that would keep one part of her mind sane. Or try to, at least.

“I mean, this is crazy. There’s just… like no way possible this is happening, right? I mean, there’s _no way_ the silly cat I’ve been texting and fighting and _flirting_ with is- “

Marinette stops herself, cheeks burning as she comes to the last realization.

“Oh my god,” she says, voice dropping to an almost whisper. “I’ve been flirting with _you_.”

Adrien didn’t think his voice could match hers, but it does, low and slow.

“Is… is that a good thing?”

A crash, loud and closer now, stops Marinette from answer, her head snapping to gaze at the door. The akuma. Gritting her teeth, Marinette remembers there’s a much more important task at hand, one she can’t ignore no matter how much she would love to. Tucking the phone into her pocket, she puts one hand on the wall behind her and lifts herself up, brushing off her jeans. Focusing on a shelf weighed down by spare school supplies, Marinette tells her mind to get ready, to slip into the comfortable space where nothing mattered but one thing: saving the day.

“What are you doing?” Adrien asks, looking up at her. In a space as tight as this it’s not much room to work with, but he does well with what he can, seeing her tighten the hairbands on her pigtails and roll her neck around, sending a wave of cracks to sound out.

Looking down, Marinette entertains herself for a second. Tells herself to smile down at him like she would with her kitten, to narrow her eyes and train herself there’s not much different outside the mask.

“Transforming.” Hand reaching down, she unzips her purse and lets Tikki free, kwami darting out to rest in front of her face. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Adrien nearly chokes of his own fault when he inhales, gasping for air. Dear God, she was going to _ruin_ him if she looked down at him again with that _smirk_ and that _voice_. Searching for air, he sputters out his response.

“Of course not, my- Marinette. Er, Ladybug. Oh, well- “

“Adrien,” she interrupts, stopping him before he did any more damage to her heart. “Not the time.”

“Right.” Opening up his shirt pocket, he feels Plagg fly out. “I should probably…”

“Yeah.” She holds a hand out for him to take, noticing just how familiar his hand felt. How normal his weight felt as she pulled him upwards, already used to balancing her body and making sure the force didn’t send herself flying back.

Although, now both standing up, Marinette realizes just how close they are, how she has to very much crane her neck back in order to get a good view of his face. _Adrien’s_ face, who’s got hair falling onto his forehead and looking so messed up she can match it up with his kitty counterpart. He’s still holding onto her hands, even while they’re steady and still.

Maybe she’ll just go and die right now.

“Ready on three?” she asks him.

“Just be mindful of the tight space,” he says in response.

Marinette blinks, realizing what he meant. Being stuck in here, it wouldn’t be possible to jump into the dramatics and transform their typical ways. No, they’d have to let the magic of the miraculous work the same way it did when they detransformed, a quick flurry of power that would grant them the ability.

Nodding, she tightens her grip on his hands, closing her eyes. “Three,” she starts.

“Two,” Adrien continues.

“One,” they both let out, not waiting before saying out their respective phrases.

“Spots on.”

“Claws out!”

The pink and green blend together, a flash bright enough that Marinette can see it even with her closed lids. The familiar feeling of her suit covering her skin arrives, and with it leaves the warmth of Adrien’s hands, the regular texture of his gloves appearing. She feels the spandex fabric of her suit comes to life over her hands as well, fingers adding that extra layer between the two and making sure nothing allowed for the two to come in direct contact. It’s a sense of relief, a step backwards to the realm she was comfortable with, even if it was often times under occasions of stress.

Opening her eyes, however, Marinette can’t hold back the soft sucked in breath, one that makes her bite her bottom lip in an attempt to stop it. She hadn’t expected for it to hit so suddenly, to recognize those eyes so easily, or the way his hair matched up, albeit a bit more tamed when he wasn’t in the suit.

She hadn’t realized just how simple it would’ve been to figure out Adrien was Chat Noir all along. Perhaps she hadn’t been looking as good as she thought.

Shaking her head, Marinette forced herself to think of the task at hand, pulling her hands away from Adrien and taking a step back.

“ _Chaton_ ,” she lets out as her feet hit the wall, keeping her not in any way further away from him. Adrien moves as well, shifting his weight.

“My lady,” he responds, seeming to accept her plea to ignore the alarms going off in both of their brains in favor of an air of normalcy. “What’s the plan?”

“The plan?”

“How do you think we should get out of here?”

“I think there’s only one way.” Sighing, she let her eyes trail down to his hand, wishing for a second she’d have it in her grip again. “Cataclysm.”

Adrien frown, brows furrowed together in confusion. “So early?”

She lets her eyes come back to his face, softening under his gaze. “Do we have another choice?”

Looking at the door, they don’t need to look long before realizing it’s pointless to look around for other options. There’d be no way to break out and find the akuma without taking up even more time, wasting those precious seconds that could pay off in the long run.

No, Adrien would have to go and activate it now, leaving Marinette with no choice but to battle it out on her own. It’s tough, tougher than he thought it would, be to agree to. There’s too much at stake should he take too long, and with the new information running through his brain Adrien wants nothing more than to sit down and think it all out, reread all the messages he shared with his Lady the past weeks and figure out just how could he have missed it, missed _her_.

Still, there’s no time for that now. They had bigger things to deal with, things that needed their full focus. Eyes trained on hers, he notices she’s been waiting for his response.

“I’ll try to transform back as soon after,” Adrien finally says, mind working out just how long Ladybug could last without him to jump in. “Five minutes, maybe less if Plagg eats his cheese fast enough.”

“Just make sure he’s full of energy before you transform back. We’re gonna need it.”

He nods, the most serious Marinette’s ever seen him in the suit. Perhaps it’s due to the situation they’re in, the fact just past the door lay their enemy for the day. Perhaps he was thinking, thinking things she didn’t have the chance to figure out just now.

Perhaps, he knew what needed to be done.

In any case, Marinette steps back, pressing her back to the wall and giving him all the space she can while he called for his Cataclysm. Watching him, she observes how he handles the black wave of destruction in his hand for just a moment, before slamming it directly in the middle of the door. It’s a harsh pound that would probably bring the door down just by his force alone, and once that pays off the longer she watches. The rotting of wood spread quickly, Adrien’s touch spreading a wave of deterioration in mere seconds. Another moment, and the door practically falls apart, a wave of dust that settles on the floor in a neat line.

Looking where the door once was, Marinette finally sees what had been thrown against it, a file cabinet loaded with papers from the students and effectively keeping them trapped.

“You want to handle this?” he asks, looking back at her.

“I guess I shouldn’t let you have all the fun,” she responds back with, just enough snark that her back is straighter, confidence pouring back into her.

Maybe it’s the suit. Maybe it’s him. She isn’t quite sure yet.

Marinette walks past him, standing in front of the cabinet and bracing herself for a second before kicking a leg up, foot pressed quick and harsh on the cabinet and sending it out. Tottering for a second, it doesn’t stand a chance against gravity, file cabinet tilting over and landing with a thud on the ground.

A loud one at that. “We don’t have much time,” she says, shaking her head as she steps over the cabinet. “I bet that akuma will come over here to check out the noise, which means- “

“You’ll need to distract him,” Adrien finishes, a beep on his hand alerting signaling the close end. “You sure you’ll be fine without me?”

Marinette smiles, feeling her mask move with her skin as her cheeks rise. Reaching for her yo-yo, she readies herself to head out, looking back at Adrien one more time.

“Of course. I didn’t get this suit overnight, did I?”

“No,” he responds, smiling as he watches her run out to the door, bent on getting the akuma’s attention and taking him as far away from Adrien as she could. “You didn’t.”

The akuma isn’t the worst one they’ve faced. It’s not the easiest either, a step up in Hawkmoth’s game that Marinette has to think is his form of retaliation for the smooth way they’ve darted in and out of battles these past few weeks. She’s almost proud of it, even as she leaps up and tries to dodge hits. They’re better now, a much more accomplished team than they had been in the beginning. They were used to the suits and used to each other, a perfectly oiled machine that would never function well without the other around.

Marinette gets reminded of that by the way she’s struggling to hold down the fort. Counting down the minutes before Chat Noir shows up feels like hours, and each second he’s not there is another second with her thinking two steps ahead, trying to keep the akuma as occupied for as long as she can even if mean her breath runs ragged and her moves become more chaotic as she does so, drawing him away from the courtyard filled with innocent bystanders and towards one of the empty classrooms.

She’s looping her yo-yo on a computer and just about to fling it the akuma’s way when a baton suddenly lands a hit on them, sending them to the ground. Marinette knows that weapon better than her own yo-yo, and when she darts her eyes over isn’t surprised when they land on _him_ , dressed in that all too familiar black leather.

“Glad you could join us,” she says, pulling her string back and taking the small moment to take quick breathes, intent on getting as much air as she could flowing through her lungs while she could. Marinette can already feel her shoulders relax, his mere presence enough to make her nerves dissipate a bit.

“I never miss out on a good cat fight, bug,” Adrien says in response, causing just the slightest set of red to appear on her cheeks at the sound of the nickname.

Just the slightest, of course. Marinette knew from firsthand experience it did no good if she spent too long stuck on every compliment and flirt that was thrown her way, and especially not when she was in the midst of an akuma attack.

Although, that was to say if _only_ this was flirting. And he wasn’t flirting with her right now, right?

Ignoring her thoughts, Marinette tightens her grip on the yo-yo and reminding herself of what was necessary at the moment. Adrien seemed to be holding up on his own, but that was merely for now. She couldn’t guarantee that it’d be this easy the rest of the fight, and she wasn’t willing to take up the chance. Training her eyes, she tried to find a hint for where the akuma might be hidden.

In the midst of it, she also finds herself watching someone else.

A quick leap up the side of the akuma’s back, grabbing hold of their frame and throwing off their balance. A hand coming to grab at their wrist, using the advantage to flip them over onto the teacher’s desk. Baton being grabbed and lengthened in the blink of an eye, he moved back towards the student’s seats, trying to gain some distance.

A smile on his face as he moved, more than in his element as he worked. A clawed hand coming up and brushing back the hair that stuck to his forehead, musing it up in ways she had never seen outside the suit. The way his nose scrunched up whenever he brought down his baton, force strong enough to bring down anyone without enhanced abilities.

Green eyes, so bright and alert as they memorized each of the akuma’s choice of attack. A confident bounce in his steps, so in tune with his body he probably didn’t have to think much about where his next spot would be. A punch to the side that made him shake his head and chuckle before attacking back, twice as hard.

With a small smile forming, Marinette jumps back into the fight, calling down her Lucky Charm and observing it, a _mitten_ of all things. She flashed her eyes around, looking for spotted clues. And when it landed on him, bright and obvious, Marinette’s knew it was more than just a sign for where to take the course of the battle.

_Adrien. Chat Noir. It was all the same, wasn’t it?_

If someone had to ask Ladybug to describe her step-by-step play for the rest of the battle, she’d come up empty. There was nothing to say, the movements coming from some part of her brain working all on its own and finishing for her. Marinette only knows the after, when its all over and her yo-yo is releasing the butterfly and saying a quick goodbye. She knows throwing the Lucky Charm in the air, seeing all damage gone in a flash. And she knows helping the victim up from the floor, holding out a hand and calling for someone to usher them off towards the nurse’s office.

She knows all that, but nothing more. Marinette had something else to think about, something that occupied her thoughts and made her work on auto-pilot. She knows the course, and knows just where it’s going to lead her. All she needs is to focus on the trip there.

But there’s no time for musing, no time for her to recollect and plan where to go from here. She’s just heard the first beep of her earrings when Adrien’s gotten hold of her hand, pulling her close and not waiting for a response before he starts walking. They’re headed down the hallway and turning the corner to a place of the school Marinette knows well, that she’s more than accustomed to.

Their classroom, still empty. The closet, door repaired, waits for them. Marinette wonders just how long they’ll have as Adrien leads her up the steps, ignoring the first beep that comes from his ring.

“We need to talk,” he says once the door’s shut. “Like really, _talk_.”

Marinette’s free hand comes up, fumbles along the wall for the light switch. With a flick, the light reveals just how close Adrien is to her, reminds her he’s still holding her hand.

Reminds her that she’s holding onto his, touch burning even with their suits on. She feels her heart pick up, looking at Adrien as she asks him, “What… What do you want to talk about?”

“What you said earlier,” he answers. “What you’ve been saying all this time, over the messages.”

She feels her breath catch in her throat, thinking back to the hundreds of things exchanged between the two in the past few weeks. Biting her lip, Marinette lets out a hesitant nod, ready for him to continue.

Adrien reaches down for her other hand and holds it just as tightly, as if gearing up for his next sentence. “How…”

“How what?” Marinette asks, voice low. She’s sure his eyes have never looked brighter than now, stuck in a tight closet with him and only a lightbulb hanging over them, their own form of mistletoe.

He swallows. “How did I never know it was you?”

“Me?”

“You. It’s been you all along… you.”

“Is that a good thing?” she asks him, trying to reason with her brain and calm down her heart. It doesn’t work, not at the way he seems to smile even wider as he answers.

“It’s a _great_ thing. I’ve been spending months trying to find out who you were, and all along you’ve been right under my nose.” Adrien lowers his head, almost down to her height. “Literally.”

Marinette frowns, eyes narrowing even while she feels her eyes go fuzzy at the closeness of his face. “You aren’t doing yourself any favors, you know.”

“I know,” he says, so sure and cocky it’s enough to make her tug on his cat ears and scold him.

There’s another beep shared, a reminder that they’re only a few seconds away from their detransformation. Looking down, Marinette looks at their hands, interlocked still.

“We should head back to our seats in class, Adrien,” Marinette says, suggesting it even while her heart begs her to stay here and sort some things out. Truthfully speaking, she’d rather stay here all day if she could, finally figure out where everything lay between them. Logically speaking, she knows they don’t have much time, not even the defeat of an akuma enough to buy them time.

“Should we?” he asks.

“Yes,” she says, even while her mind yells out no. “Before they start looking for us. Who knows how much longer we have until Mme. Bustier rounds everyone up and they all come back to class. They’ll probably even try to search us down.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Maybe?” she challenges, looking up at him and raising her brow.

Adrien chuckles, watching how the mask moved with every expression she did. “You _are_ ,” he corrects. “But, I just have something to ask, something else before we head back.”

“Something else?”

“Yes.” Adrien bites his lip, almost bashful. “Flirting. Were you actually… _flirting_ with me this whole time? As Chat Noir? When we were texting? And staying up late on the phone?”

Marinette freezes, eyes widening and the sudden rise of heat blossoming on her face.

“Why are you asking this right now?” she asks him, feeling her mouth go dry and brain working on hyper mode.

“I just need to know. Please, for my sanity.”

“And I need to answer… right now?”

“Yes. Right now. Unless of course, you don’t want to answer _right now_ ,” Adrien rushes out, feeling his nerves spike up and jump to correct himself before he gave the wrong impression to Marinette. “I don’t want to force you to answer something you don’t want to, and I really don’t want to put you on the spot, but I just couldn’t get that out of my mind during the akuma attack, and- “

“Yes,” she interrupts. “I-I was.”

“You were? With Chat?”

She nods. “Yes. With Chat.” Another moment, and Marinette gets a burst of confidence run through her. “With _you_ , Adrien.”

He exhales, closing his eyes. Adrien sends a quick sendoff of thanks to every bit of luck that worked in his favor, overjoyed with the answer.

“But why do you want to know?” she asks, causing Adrien to look down at her. “Were you actually-”

“Yes,” he finishes, beating her to the chase. “I was. The entire time.”

“The entire time. From the first time we met, to over the phone,” Adrien raises their hands, pressing a kiss to her knuckles, “to now.”

Marinette wishes their suits would come off now, desperate to feel his lips on her skin. She licks her lips, mind thinking of what to say. Stuck on too many thoughts at once, she tries to go one by one through the thoughts in her head.

“So, this whole time with Ladybug… you really felt that way about me?”

“Of course,” he says, lips hovering over her hands, tickling Marinette with every word. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“I mean, don’t you usually jump to flirt about as Chat Noir?”

Adrien laughs, shaking his head as he straightens. “Marinette,” he starts, “in my entire time as Chat, I’ve only flirted with two people. Ladybug, savior of Paris. Marinette, my fellow classmate. Although now, it seems that two has suddenly dropped down to one.”

“Really?”

“Really,” he assures her. “I promise, there’s no one else in Paris who’s got a grip on my heart the way you do.”

Marinette thinks she might very well faint with the way the blood’s rushed to her head, turning her as red as the rest of her suit. She’s on a high right now, feeling her heart swell up with every second and every word that continues to leave Adrien’s mouth. But still, she needs that confirmation, those three words that’ll send her flying way higher than any miraculous could do.

“Does that mean you like me?” she asks, sending Adrien to laugh, loud and uninterrupted. He brings her hands back to his lips, pressing another kiss down.

“Marinette, _of course_ I do. I’ve been liking you for months on end, trying to win your heart over during every attack and patrol. I’ve liked you from the first time I met you, ever since we got tangled up in your yo-yo and dangled upside down from a lamppost. Our first day being superheroes, the first time I got to see you and talk to you and… fall in love with you.”

“Love?” she repeats, wondering what stage of heaven she could’ve been sent to. “You l-love me?”

“Okay, maybe it’s a strong word to use right now,” he amends, even when the feeling in his heart lets him know he’s never been more sure about the usage of it than right now.

“But is it true?”

“I guess you’ll have to make that decision up yourself, my lady.”

She already has, mind made up mid attack. Eyes softening, she looks at him, pulling his hands down to meet her lips for a change.

“I’ve decided,” Marinette says softly, lips moving against the leather of his gloves. She looks up, sure Adrien’s never looked more handsome than now, one claw left on his miraculous and yet staring at her as if they held all the time in the world in their hands.

“Care to share?” he asks, watching her.

“I like you too,” she answers.

Adrien thinks he’s never been more happy than in this moment. “Do you now?” he asks, seeing if he could drag it out as long as she did.

Marinette doesn’t think she’ll ever stop smiling. “Yes.”

Adrien can’t drag it out. He can’t, not when every bit of his body wants to pull her close and never let her go. He moves his hands out of her grip and lets one rest on her cheek, the other coming to settle on her waist.

“Is there anything else on your mind?” he asks.

There is, but Marinette sure it’s not something he’s expecting to hear. There’s a twinkle in her eyes, of mischievous she never gets to indulge in as Ladybug.

“How long do you think we can stay in here before they find us?”

“I don’t know,” Adrien says, laughing at the abrupt question. “Shouldn’t we head back to our seats, like you said? It’s the responsible thing to do, after all.”

She leans into his touch, moving her face so her lips can lay a quick kiss on his fingers. “Is that right?”

“Yes.” He runs his thumb on her chin now, before letting his hand gently nudge her face upwards. “We’re superheroes, after all. We need to think responsibly.”

“Mm-hm,” she hums out, eyes closing.

“Does that mean you’re agreeing with me?”

Marinette finally lets her eyes flutter open, speaking low and soft as she answers, “That’s means I’m waiting for you to kiss me.”

The last beep of their miraculous sounds out, a warning they usually follow religiously.

They don’t listen this time.

They finally let their lips touch when their suits come off, the same flash as before with ten times the impact now. Marinette rises on her tiptoes to reach him better, a hand coming up to rest on the back of his neck. Adrien fits against her in all the right spots, the missing puzzle piece she’s been searching for ages. There’s a sensation that goes through, the same feeling of happiness she got the first time she transformed into Ladybug, joy coursing through every part of her body.

 _Euphoria_ , she almost wants to call it. _Elation. Ecstasy._

With one hand coming to feel along for the light switch, Marinette finds the word just as she turns off the light, just the thing to describe the moment between them right now.

 _Miraculous_.

**Author's Note:**

> mari-cheres on tumblr... yh that annoying account we have to NOT stan


End file.
